I’m
sure that many members of the Community
ensemble will show up on the blog as time goes on, but I’d like to start with
the one who pressed his way to the fore on my most recent run through the
series. It’s none other than Dean Pelton,
Greendale’s hapless head honcho.
In
season one, the Dean is introduced as relentlessly optimistic, absurdly PC, and
incurably incompetent. Deep down, a part
of him probably realizes he’s the captain of a sinking ship, but bless him, he
never admits it. Much of his presence in
the first season comes from his cheerful P.A. announcements; no matter what
unfortunate FYI he gives his students, he delivers it without fail in a chipper
voice. We also see his out-of-control PC
leanings in action. His attempts to be
fully inclusive in creating the Greendale Human Beings mascot are well-meaning
but misguided, and the holiday season is so taxing that he feels compelled to invent
an entirely new character, Mister Winter, to avoid religious affiliation. And let’s face it – he’s terrible at his
job. This is a man who accidentally
gives out malfunctioning condoms at the STD Awareness fair.
The
Dean’s more unique quirks start to come through toward the end of season one
and beyond. His Lady Gaga costume in
season two’s Halloween episode kicks off the running gag of the Dean appearing
in outrageous outfits to deliver a bit of exposition. He has a particular penchant for women’s
costumes; Tina Turner, Scarlett O’Hara, and Donna Reed are just a few looks
he’s appropriated. I adore this gag, not
because I think drag is inherently funny, but because the Dean will seize upon
the flimsiest of excuses to dress up. My
favorites include dressing like a Moulin Rouge dancer to inform the study group
that biology class is “can-can-canceled” and wearing a “sexy construction
worker” costume because he’s “building
to big news.”
I think
part of the reason I like him is because he’s just so happily weird. He goes about his day wearing wild costumes,
making goofy puns on his name/title (“simmer dean” is a good one,) and writing
about the exploits of time-traveling Dean Dangerous, and he doesn’t generally
let other people’s remarks stifle him.
At some point, he decided he was okay with flying his freak-flag, and he
never looked back. Some would argue that
the show uses him to poke fun at queer sexuality, and I can see where they’re
coming from, but it’s hard for me to agree.
I see how much the Dean enjoys being who he is, and even though he
sometimes seems pretty wimpy, I think his sunny disregard for anyone’s mockery
shows that he’s ultimately quite a strong person.
Not
that he doesn’t let anything get him
down. As comfortable as the Dean is in
his own skin, he’s very insecure when it comes to his job. It’s desperately important to him that he’s
viewed as a good dean and Greendale as a good school – when things start to get
away from him, he falls apart spectacularly, and it’s always hilarious. He goes to pieces when a game of paintball
turns the school into a warzone, he very nearly loses his mind trying to film a
commercial for Greendale, and when an outdoor food festival descends into a “race
kerfuffle,” he helplessly wails, “I didn’t even know there was a difference between North and South Korean barbeque!”
Luckily,
the study group usually comes through to help him out. His earnest affection for them and their
somewhat-begrudging protectiveness of him – like he’s an eager but annoying
little brother – is a sweet part of the show.
It invariably makes me smile when the group includes him in an activity,
a celebration, or even a group hug, because I know how much it means to him.
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